Posts Tagged ‘Wisconsin’

A federal judge has ruled that a portion of Wisconsin’s right-to-work law is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William M. Conley issued an order permanently forbidding enforcement of Section 9 of the law, which gave Wisconsin workers a free pass to back out of unions. The legal wrangling over Section 9 dates back to early 2016:...

ff Don’t try to tell us 2016 was the worst of it when Wisconsin workers are staring down the barrel of a loaded legislative gun. State Rep. Rob Hutton has introduced a bill that would block local governments from requiring Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on public construction projects. Instead, Hutton said he would like [&hellip...

In Wisconsin, opponents of the prevailing wage have suggested that a full repeal could result in savings of 44%. But a new report from the Midwest Economic Policy Institute (MEPI) – “Prevailing Wage Repeal Cannot Result in ’44 Percent Savings'” – challenges that assertion. MEPI takes particular issue with a 2015...

A Wisconsin district court judge dismissed a challenge to the state’s “Right-to-work” law this week. The suit, filed by the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Locals 139 and 420, will now move to a federal appeals court. The two unions contend that the law amounts to an illegal taking of property: The...

New documents have emerged that demonstrate the far-reaching influence of corporate cash on American politics, and on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s administration in particular. The John Doe papers, leaked to The Guardian, expose a network of corporations and mega-rich individuals who donate to third-party groups in an effort to...

No one has ever accused Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) of caring too much about Wisconsin workers. Turns out he doesn’t care all that much about safeguards against corporate outsourcing, either. Under his administration, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporations (WEDC) has dealt with some troublesome outsourcing scandals....

Wisconsin lawmakers are at it again. In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, State Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) claimed that flaggers on state road projects make $100,000 a year. He did so in an attempt to support his call to eliminate the state’s prevailing wage. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, however, it seems...

In a piece for In These Times, writer Shaun Richman looks at the legal argument that could overturn “Right-to-Work” laws nationwide. The argument was recently used by the Wisconsin judge who temporarily overturned the state’s “Right-to-Work” law. While that case is certain to be appealed and overturned by the state’s...

A state court judge threw out Wisconsin’s “Right-to-Work” law in a case brought forward by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, Machinists Local Lodge 1061, and United Steelworkers District 2. The ruling sets up a state Supreme Court showdown which will put the entrenched dark money interests that run the state’s political scene on public...

While union membership rates remained unchanged nationally from 2014 to 2015, they dropped significantly in the state of Wisconsin. For the first time in its history, the state fell below the national average. In 2015, only 8.3 percent of Wisconsin’s workforce paid dues to unions, or a total of 223,000 workers. In 2014, roughly...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is set to sign a bill that would revamp the state’s 110-year-old civil service system, in what is being labeled yet another setback for labor. Opponents of the bill believe it will lead to cronyism in government hiring. The bill passed the Senate on a 19-14 vote. Following its passage, [&hellip...

The concept of workers’ compensation originated in Wisconsin. But if the state’s GOP has its way, the system created in 1911 will be obliterated before the end of 2015. Wisconsin Reps. John Spiros and Sen Duey Stroebel are expected to jointly introduce a bill to gut workers compensation according to a legislative memo...